Global InformationAlfred Deakin information
The Honourable Alfred Deakin | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Deakin in 1905 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2nd Prime Minister of Australia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 2 June 1909 – 29 April 1910 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Monarch | Edward VII | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Governor‑General | Lord Dudley | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Andrew Fisher | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Andrew Fisher | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 5 July 1905 – 13 November 1908 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Monarch | Edward VII | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Governors‑General |
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | George Reid | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Andrew Fisher | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 24 September 1903 – 27 April 1904 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Monarch | Edward VII | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Governors‑General |
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Edmund Barton | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Chris Watson | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Leader of the Opposition | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 1 July 1910 – 20 January 1913 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Prime Minister | Andrew Fisher | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Andrew Fisher | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Joseph Cook | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 26 May 1909 – 2 June 1909 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Prime Minister | Andrew Fisher | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Joseph Cook | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Andrew Fisher | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal details | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 3 August 1856 Fitzroy, Colony of Victoria | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Died | 7 October 1919 (aged 63) South Yarra, Victoria, Australia | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Resting place | St Kilda Cemetery | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Political party |
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Spouse |
Pattie Browne (m. 1882) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Children | 3, including Ivy and Vera | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Relatives |
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Education |
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Profession | Barrister | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Signature |  | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||
|---|---|---|
Prime Minister of Australia First term of government, 1903–1904
Second term of government, 1905–1908
Third term of government, 1909–1910
Ministries
Elections
 |
||
| This article is part of a series on |
| Liberalism in Australia |
|---|
 |
|
Alfred Deakin (3 August 1856 – 7 October 1919) was an Australian politician, statesman and barrister who served as the second prime minister of Australia from 1903 to 1904, 1905 to 1908 and 1909 to 1910. He held office as the leader of the Protectionist Party, and in his final term as that of the Liberal Party. He is notable for being one of the founding fathers of Federation and for his influence in early Australian politics.
Deakin was born in Melbourne to middle-class parents. He was elected to the Victorian Legislative Assembly in 1879, aged 23, additionally working as a barrister and journalist. He held ministerial office sporadically beginning in 1883, serving twice as Attorney-General of Victoria and aligning himself with liberal and radical reformers. In the 1890s Deakin became one of the leading figures in the movement for the federation of the Australian colonies. He was a delegate to the federal conventions and served on the committees that drafted the federal constitution. He later campaigned at a series of referendums and lobbied the British government for its adoption.
After the Federation in 1901, Deakin became the inaugural Attorney-General of Australia in the ministry led by his close friend Edmund Barton. He succeeded Barton as prime minister in September 1903. Two subsequent elections in 1903 and 1906 produced an even split between three parties, with Deakin's Liberal Protectionist Party occupying an effective middle ground between the Free Traders and the Australian Labor Party (ALP). He left office in April 1904 following an unproductive first term but returned in July 1905 and was able to form a functional government with the support of the ALP. He relinquished office again in August 1908.
In 1909, in what became known as the Fusion, Deakin controversially led his supporters into a union with the Free Traders. Their alliance, based on anti-socialism, marked the beginning of a two-party system in federal politics and allowed him to form Australia's first majority government. Deakin regarded his final term as prime minister, from June 1909 to April 1910, as his most productive. However, to his surprise, the ALP won a majority in both houses at the 1910 election. He retired from politics in 1913, in the early stages of a degenerative neurological condition that led to his death at the age of 63.
Deakin is regarded as one of Australia's most influential prime ministers. He was the principal architect of the "Australian settlement", the features of which – the White Australia policy, compulsory arbitration, protectionism, state paternalism, and support for the British Empire – formed the basis of Australia's socio-economic framework well into the 20th century.[1]
- ^ Kelly, Paul (1992). The End of Certainty: The Story of the 1980s. Allen & Unwin. p. 3. ISBN 978-1-86373-388-5.